Nov 1 / Gratitude

L - Nikon / L - iphone

Happy November! And the holiday season begins...
Beginning on this first day of November, I will be posting, along with many other blogger and flickr folks, a month long celebration of all I have to be grateful for. Seems fitting to start with HOME. Even more specifically, my physical HOUSE. I am so thankful to have a beautiful, albeit small, house that is structurally sound and protects and keeps me warm and safe from the environment. My dad helped build this house and it has many special touches that make it just perfect for my daughter and me - now just me. It is situated amongst evergreens and hardwoods in such a way that I feel I am the only one around. I love my house... it is home.

P.S. The remaining gratitude series will be on my autumnsun blog.

smile / OK

L - Nikon ........ T - Nikon (sign seen today at Spruill Art Center)

This morning my tea tag read "say it straight, simple and with a smile" How appropriate for this day. A simple "thank you" and a smile can mean so much don't you think?
............
my friend from school came to spend thanksgiving with my family and me. it's nice to be someone's solace, especially on a day like today.
this thanksgiving of course i'm not struggling to come up with things that i'm thankful for. i have an abundance. from personal things to things i'm sure we all appreciate – a good friend to confide in and a beautiful autumn day. i do, however, struggle everyday with making my appreciation known to those around me and that's something that i need to work on. so many people in my life have contributed to the person i am today, and to them i owe an extreme thanks. my mom who has been there for me through everything and supported my every decision and fed my creativity, my oma and opa and my grandparents who have taught me so much and given me such wisdom and guidance to ponder, my dad who has encouraged me every step of the way. my uncles and aunts, my best friends, my favorite teachers... at times i don't feel i'm a good enough person to be able to aptly reflect the influences of those close to me. other times, i feel like i'm just putting my own spin on life - an element that is completely and utterly necessary to individuality. i hope that you used this day to make your love and gratitude for your loved ones known [:

Gratitude

solo post - L

"Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul." ~Henry Ward Beecher

On this Thanksgiving eve I will lie in my warm bed, with my eyes closed tight, a kitty at my feet, and reflect back on the year at all the many things I have to be grateful for and say a prayer of thanksgiving to my Lord. Tomorrow blessings will be said, good food and conversation will be shared as we gather at the table with friends and family to eat our feasts of thanksgiving, there will be laughter and games, and then there will be goodbye hugs. Let's remember to keep a thankful heart not only tomorrow but throughout the year and to express our gratitude to those we love at every opportunity we get.
I want to take this opportunity, tonight, to tell you that I am grateful for the friendship we share and to wish you all a delightful Thanksgiving surrounded by love and filled with happiness.
good night.

(photo taken in spring of 2009)